PAW Patrol : Secrets of the Nexus Part 3, The Temple of Water
Summary With the Eternal Air Source now in their possession, the pups and cats now seek the Water Temple, located somewhere offshore. Along the way, the pups stumble across a familiar enemy, with whom they must ally if the world is to be saved. Cast The PAW Patrol Star and her siblings Specter Howly Silvia Sweetie Tavurvur Vesuvius Chard Story We begin on the Air Patroller. The pups are mildly celebrating their recent victory and new addition. Tavurvur is performing a dance from his people to demonstrate his gratitude. Elsewhere on the Air Patroller, Perathius and Sweetie are trying to find a place to put the Eternal Air Source. Sweetie : Perhaps it should go in there. (points to a closet) Perathius : Are you sure that is the best place? Sweetie : Why wouldn't I be? No one will suspect a thing! (places the Source in the closet and closes the door, only to find that it glows brilliantly) Maybe that isn't the best place after all. (opens the door) The Eternal Air Source then starts to drift towards Sweetie, causing the latter to panic slightly. Sweetie : Uh, Perathius, what's going on? The Source then begins giving itself to Sweetie, who screams in pain as the Eternal Air Source phases into her body through her chest. The other pups hear her screaming and come running in. Tracker : What happened?! Sweetie : I don't kno- ah-ah-AH-CHOO! The sneeze blows Perathius into a bulkhead at incredible speed. He then falls to the floor groaning in pain. A large dent is left in the bulkhead. Specter : Wow! Star : (croaky due to her ongoing illness) The Source must have given Sweetie its power. Cratonas : You mean, she can manipulate the air now? Star : (still croaky) It must be so. Rocky : Has this happened before? Perathius : It has. (groans) Many times. Many have tried to master the Sources, but most couldn't handle more than 1. Everest : There's gotta be a lot of power in the Sources. Moseda : I read somewhere that each Eternal Source will give a different ability. The Eternal Air Source will allow whoever masters it to use the air around them to their advantage, even letting them fly. Skye : (surprised) Sweetie can fly now? Rhea : Perathius and I have seen many master the Eternal Air Source. We know it's possible. Perathius : Mastering the Sources would normally take years, but, as we are on a tight deadline, we must act and learn quickly. The intercom sounds. Ryder : We are approaching our landing site. Brace for landing. The Air Patroller lands near the ruins of a medieval castle near a shoreline. Aside from piles of rubble that mark its former extent, little remains save for a section of perimeter wall complete with machicolations, and even that is showing signs of advanced decay. The pups leave the Air Patroller and are amazed by the wall. Chase : (amazed) I've never seen a wall like this, even in Barkingburg. Sweetie : (also amazed) I was thinking the same thing. Moseda has been taking a look around and sees a rather chubby tabby cat limping as his right front leg is deformed. He's grey in color and had green eyes. Moseda : (somewhat flattered) Excuse me, sir. Tabby Cat : (surprised) Please don't startle me like that! Moseda : Sorry. (thinks for a moment) Are you heading somewhere? Tabby Cat : I'm trying to find the PAW Patrol. I need their help... whether they like me or not. Moseda : (confused for a moment but then solves the puzzle) Oh, I know where they are! Tabby Cat : You do? Moseda : They're on the other side of the wall. Tabby Cat : (surprised) Oh. (regains his composure) They're bound to find me sooner or later. Might as well make my entrance. The Tabby Cat appears from behind the wall. The pups see him and growl fiercely. Tabby Cat : I had a feeling you'd growl when I got here. Zuma : What are you doing here, Chard?! Chard : (unmoved) I've come to ask for your help. The pups stare at Chard for a minute or two, then burst out laughing. Chard : (observing all this) I'm not sure how that is funny, considering our predicament. Marshall : (still laughing) You mean your predicament! Chard : You were planning to arrest me on sight, weren't you? Rocky : (recovering) Of course, we were! You tried to take over the Bay many times! Chase : That's more than enough reason to arrest you. Rubble : And Night Ryder too! Skye : Speaking of whom, where is he? Chard : I don't know. Marshall (surprised) Really? Chase : (surprised) I thought you two were planning something big! Chard : We were. You see, after his rather embarrassing attack on the bay, he asked me to build him an army of robots to replace his old one, which had been reduced to shreds. I agreed under the condition that I would take part in the attack. Together, we began building a contraption the likes of which has never been seen. I then found that he wanted it all for himself, so I ended our partnership and moved my lair, (points toward the ocean) 100 miles offshore. I haven't seen or heard from him since. Everest : So, why do you need our help? Chard : (sees Everest, Tracker, Sylvia, and Sweetie) Forgive me, but, who are you? Everest : I'm Everest. The others are Tracker, Sylvia, and Sweetie. Tracker : We've heard about you. Chard : That's rather intriguing. Everest : Back to the question. Chard : Oh. My HQ was recently captured by a band of hideous beasts. I was unable to stop them. Perhaps, with your help, we can get it back. Rocky : Fat chance. Star : (croaky) I don't think they trust you. Chard : I understand. Moseda : Hideous Beasts you say? Chard : Yes? Moseda : Those were Kynodines! Star : (still croaky) Kynodines? Perathius : I thought they were imprisoned. Cratonas : They're not imprisoned anymore. Moseda : They're very powerful monsters. If they're in your lair, they must already be gathering an army out of your troops. Chard : That's why I need your help. The pups look at each other and nod. Rocky : We'll help you. But if you try anything evil, we'll lock you up. Chard : You have my word. Skye : We just need to find a boat. Cratonas : (to Moseda) Can't you part the sea? Meseda : Water is heavy in large amounts. Even if I could, I can't hold it for long. Cratonas : Good point. Zuma : There's a boat! (points to a moderately size sailboat moored by some rocks on the shore) Rocky : (to Star and her siblings) Ever sailed before? The cats hesitate with answering, expressing worry and confusion. Rocky : I'll take that as a no. Scene changes with Zuma's badge. The pups and cats are now aboard the boat and sailing to Chard's base, which looms only a couple of miles in the distance. Rhea is on the Forecastle and looking out to the base. She notices something bobbing in the water ahead of them. Rhea : Chard? Chard : (comes to the Forecastle) Yes? Rhea : What's that floating in the water? Chard squints at the object and suddenly goes cold when he realizes what it is. Chard : Whatever it is... it isn't yours. (runs to the helm) Rhea : (following Chard) Who's is it? Chard : It's all mine! (swings the wheel) The boat turns to port away from the object. When the boat is a fair distance away, Chard grabs a pistol and shoots the object, which then explodes, sending up a massive column of water. Rhea is scared stiff. Rhea : (in shock) What... was... THAT?! Chard : We're entering a minefield. I laid it myself. Rhea : (surprised) This is your minefield? Chard : Who else could've? The other pups rush up to the deck. Chase : What happened? Rhea : We're in a minefield! Skye : (rolling her eyes) Figures. Chard : The minefield is made of several layers. The closer we get, the denser it becomes. Tavurvur: So, we can't get through? Sylvia : Don't you have a way though? Chard : (pulls out a PDA) Yes, I do. Each mine in the field has a radio sensor, allowing communication between the PDA and the mines. I can remotely disarm mines within a 50 meter radius of our position. Rocky : We need more of those! Chard presses a button on the PDA and mines around the boat turn off and sink to the bottom. Star : (still sick) We'll be through in no time. Chard : Are you sick? Star : (croaky) Yes. I have been for some time. (coughs) We don't know what it is. Chard : It's not impeding your ability to walk. Star : (croaky) That much is true. Rhea : I tried to identify the pathogen, but it's genetic structure is unlike anything I've encountered before, especially the RNA. Chard : (ponders for a bit) I think I can help. Rubble : (sarcastically) uh huh, sure. Chard : I can! Rhea : (confused) How? Chard : I have medibots in my base. They could help in determining the pathogen. Rhea : I am the creator of all diseases you know and face. I doubt your knowledge is better than mine. Star : (croaky) It's worth a try. Sweetie : Is that your base? (points to an abandoned sea fort from the Napoleonic era) Chard : Yes. Sweetie : (laughing) I find that hard to believe. Chard : Perhaps you should see for yourself. Chase : (surprised) So, that's why we couldn't find you. Marshall : You sure know how to hide a base. Chard : Thank you. Howly comes on deck in her World War 1 uniform. Howly : What did I miss? I hope there's still #%$&@! to kick. Cratonas : We would've told you if there was. Howly : So, I dressed up for nothing? Tavurvur : I wouldn't say for nothing. Howly : I'm married. Tavurvur : Darn. Skye : (confused) Who's your husband? Howly : Zeitel. He's a dachshund living in Germany. (a phone rings. Rocky picks it up) Rocky : Hello? Who? Oh. (to Howly) It's for you. Howly : Hello? (delighted) Zeitel! (the conversation switches to German and Howly walks off) Everest : Sounds like she's been through Germany a lot. As Howly finishes her conversation, the sailboat pulls alongside a pier and moors. The pups disembark. They are met by 2 soldierbots guarding the entrance. Soldierbot 1 : Halt! (the pups do so) State your business! Chard : (approaching them in disbelief) I can't believe you don't remember me. Soldierbot 1 : (recognizing his master) Oh, it's you. (takes a look at the pups and cats following him) But, who are they? Chard : They are guests... And one of them requires medical attention. Soldierbot 1 : I see. (to the other soldierbot) Get one of the medibots up here! Soldierbot 2 : Right away. (rushes into the base) Soldierbot 1 : I'll let your guests in, but they can't touch anything. The pups and cats enter. Star begins coughing up a storm, and Rhea grows concerned. The pups meanwhile, are amazed. Rocky : Ok, I'm officially impressed. Look at this place! Rubble : This is serious construction! Chard : (smiling) I spent a long time making this fort usable as an HQ. Just then, a medibot arrives. Medibot : (in a lovely feminine voice) I was told we have a patient. Star : (croaky) That's (sneezes) me. Medibot : Come along with me. Star and the medibot move to a space under a hole in the roof where sunlight enters in great quantities. Specter watches with obvious interest. Moseda : (seeing Specter staring) Who are you looking at? Specter : (surprised) Oh! uh... nobody? Moseda : I know that look. Is it that robot? Specter : Well... Moseda : (in a sweet sort of taunt) Go on. Specter : She's cute! Moseda : Uh huh. (rolls her eyes) The medibot scans Star, who is still coughing and sneezing. While she performs her work, Chard converses with one of the scout-bots. Scout-bot : Master! You gotta hear this! Chard : Please tell me it's good news. Scout-bot : You won't believe this. The monsters are all gone! Chard : Gone?! Scout-bot : We couldn't find any of 'em. It's like they just... left without a trace! Cratonas : They have to be Kynodines. They're very good at deception. Where've they been? Scout-bot : We've managed to keep them on the lower levels. They were pretty tough though. Chard : Get back down there and see if they're really gone. Scout-bot : Alright! (dashes away) Cratonas : Chard, I've fought many Kynodines. I know how hard they are to deal with... (gulps against his reputation as a fearless warrior) especially when they're in a big group. Chard : If that's so, then we'll need you down there with the defense. Medibot : I got something! Rhea : (to Chard) Now we'll see whose knowledge is better. Medibot : (as soon as Rhea and Chard arrive) This is no ordinary disease. I can identify DNA and RNA from many distinct and unrelated pathogens. (displays a hologram of an RNA strand) This is from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Rhea and Chard are both stunned. Rhea : That's supposed to affect humans only. Medibot : There's also this sequence. (displays it) It's a combination of modified strands from at least 20 different species of bacteriophage. And this, (displays) is a sequence from Bubonic Plague. There are over a thousand other unrelated strands in this pathogen. Rhea : (shocked) Such a pathogen could only exist if it was... (her expression turns to one of horror) This is a bioweapon!! Medibot : I was just about to say that. Star : (also horrified) So... What does this bioweapon do? Rhea : And, more importantly. How were you able to tell so quickly. Medibot : When we worked for Night Ryder, he had us involved in a wide variety of projects. This bioweapon was one such project. Rhea : (suddenly angered) So, you made it. Medibot : Not me specifically. I serve in the field division. The medibots who were involved transferred their knowledge of the pathogen to Chard's database when he and Night Ryder split up. As for its workings. The infection is a multi-stage process. I know this because one medibot who helped create the bioweapon gave me some of her knowledge. The first stage is mild symptoms : Fever, coughing, sneezing, and, on occasion, vomiting. Rhea : So, Star's in the early stages of the infection. Medibot : The next phase will be more severe symptoms, including abdominal discomfort, sudden dizziness, and mild internal hemorrhaging. These will be observed in a few weeks, followed by internal clotting, mild immune suppression and potential pneumonia. The final stages will involve organ shutdown. This will play out over the next three months. Star : Three months?! Rhea : (panicking) Can't we stop it?! Medibot : As far as I 'm aware, the only one who knows how to deactivate the bioweapon in Night Ryder himself. Rhea : So... all we have to do is find him. Chard : He could be anywhere though. Just then, the scout-bot returns. Scout-bot : The monsters are definitely gone, but I think we found out why they were here. Scene changes with Specter's badge. The pups and cats are now standing in front of a rather well hidden pair of doors with a symbol on them. Moseda has just finished comparing the symbol on the door with a symbol on a scroll she brought with her. Moseda : Yep. This is the entrance to the Water Temple alright. Sylvia : So, the Eternal Water Source is here. Perathius : What did you think would be here? Sylvia : I thought there'd be piles of candy on the other side. Of course, I though the Eternal Water Source would be there! Cratonas : Shouldn't we be opening it? Perathius : Oh! Right! The pups and cats push and pull at the doors, but they won't budge. Sylvia : (groaning in pain) I think I pulled a muscle or two. Rhea : It must be locked in some way. Marshall : But, none of us have a key. Rocky : Maybe I can make one. Perathius : The door will only open with the real key... or so the texts say. They then hear a voice inside the chamber. ???? : Fascinating! Star : (still croaky) I know that voice. Perathius : So do I. (presses his face against the doors) Vesuvius? ???? : Dad? Is that you? Perathius : (relieved) Yes. (starts laughing with glee) It's me. Vesuvius : (confused) What are you doing here? Perathius : (stops laughing) We're here for the Eternal Water Source. Vesuvius : Oh! Why didn't you say so? C'mon in! Perathius : We're locked out and we don't have the key. Vesuvius : Oh! Yeah, sorry. The doors like to lock themselves when they close. Thank the Nexus the key works on both sides. There is a confusion of sounds and the doors unlock and swing open, revealing a dark-grey she-cat with sapphire green eyes standing next to a rather impressive fountain within which lies the ocean blue sphere that is the Eternal Water Source.The pups and cats enter the chamber. Perathius runs to Vesuvius and hugs her. Perathius : (happy as a father can be) I was so worried! Vesuvius : I'm ok, dad. Perathius : I'm sorry about sending you to the Surface. I shouldn't have- Vesuvius : (interrupting) It's ok. It's not like I'm in danger or anything like that. Perathius : So... you're not out for revenge? Vesuvius : (confused) Revenge? You still think it was about becoming the Ultimate Guardian? Perathius : Well... Vesuvius : It wasn't. You see, I only brought the Nexus with me because I wanted to measure it's power output, so I could plug it in to a metric I've been developing to help describe properties of rumored Eternal Sources. Moseda : A metric, you say? Rocky : Woah, woah, woah. (to Perathius) Your daughter's a theoretical physicist? Vesuvius : Theoretical alchemist. Star : So, that's why you were into math. Cratonas : But, there hasn't been a theoretical alchemist in a very long time. Moseda : That makes two of us. Cratonas : (surprised) Your one too? Moseda : You didn't know? Chase : So, what you're saying is theoretical alchemists use math to describe magic in the way theoretical physicists use it to describe the Universe? Vesuvius : You could say that. Moseda : (to Vesuvius) May I take a look at your work. Vesuvius : Sure! (opens a book she's been carrying and turns to a page with a mathematical expression. Moseda reads it and is quite surprised) Moseda : That's quite a metric. (points to a term about halfway through the metric) I've never seen that term before. Vesuvius : It's a corrective term. It's supposed to take the source's shape into account. (Turns the page) I've tested the metric on the Eternal Air Source and... here. Moseda : (looks at the math and is amazed) This solution describes the source perfectly! Imagine the implications! (Suddenly has an idea) Maybe it can describe the Eternal Time Source! Sylvia : Eternal Time Source? Vesuvius : It's hypothetical. It may not be real. Moseda : I like to believe it is. Sylvia : So... Chase : We'll worry about that later, but right now, we have a Nexus to save. Let's go! Thus concludes the third part of the Paw Patrol's quest to unlock the Secrets of the Nexus.